INDEPENDENT VIDEOGAME SITE CRISPY GAMER LAUNCHES

NEW YORK— Oct. 27, 2008— Crispy Gamer (crispygamer.com), a new independent destination dedicated to offering a voice for serious gamers, has formally opened its site with more than 1 million unique visitors. The new media company has secured $8.25 million in backing from Constellation Ventures and the company’s founders. Crispy Gamer is the brainchild of Chris Heldman, former head of media entertainment at Google, who recruited John Keefer, former editorial director at GameSpy, and Chris Hoerenz, former chief marketing officer at eMusic, to co-found the venture.

“Crispy Gamer was formed with a respect for the place of games in popular culture,” CEO Chris Heldman explained.“Gaming is a massive entertainment medium that draws an incredibly passionate, opinionated and dedicated fan base. We want to serve the gamer culture with an honest voice and a contemporary community experience. To seal our authenticity for critical opinion, we will eliminate any perceived or actual sway dictated by ad dollars coming from the game publishers.”

Crispy Gamer has a deep editorial bench of games journalists, called the Game Trust, to provide authentic and entertaining coverage of the videogame landscape. Crispy Gamer’s community, still in Beta phase, innovates by providing opportunities for the site’s readers to come together with the Game Trust experts to form critical opinions and share essential information around their passion for games and games culture.

Crispy Gamer has taken a bold stance in refusing to accept advertising from game publishers. This financial freedom allows for fearless and credible industry reporting, which draws a discerning and informed audience. Crispy Gamer believes its insistence on independence, authenticity and its fresh approach to community building also benefit its non-endemic advertisers eager to connect with the tough-to-reach-and-influence gamer demographic.

Crispy Gamer’s lead backer, Constellation Ventures, is a New York City based media, communications and technology-focused growth equity fund that manages over $500 million in capital. Tom Wasserman, managing director of Constellation Ventures, has joined the board of Crispy Gamer. The Crispy Gamer board also consists of Chris Heldman, founding president and CEO Crispy Gamer; Chris Early, general manager of Windows Gaming; and Rick Sirvaitis, 36-year media veteran and former president and COO of GM Mediaworks.

“Crispy Gamer is the destination for today’s and tomorrow’s serious gamer,” Tom Wasserman, managing director, Constellation Ventures, said.“We are confident in the diverse expertise the Crispy Gamer leadership brings to its razor-sharp vision for building an independent media business that relies on a credible voice, a vibrant user community, and a philosophical stance that will set it apart from its predecessors.”

Crispy Gamer (crispygamer.com) is the independent voice and the fresh destination for the gamer generation, where gamers and experts come together to form critical opinions and share essential information around their passion for games and games culture. Crispy Gamer is headquartered in New York City. Privately held, the company’s backing is led by Constellation Ventures.

Games Press is the leading online resource for games journalists. Used daily by magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, online media and retailers worldwide, it offers a vast, constantly updated archive of press releases and assets, and is the simplest and most cost-effective way for PR professionals to reach the widest possible audience. Registration for the site and the Games Press email digest is available, to the trade only, at www.gamespress.com.

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MCV is the leading trade news and community site for all professionals working within the UK and international video games market. It reaches everyone from store manager to CEO, covering the entire industry. MCV is published by NewBay Media, which specialises in entertainment, leisure and technology markets.